Raised from the Dead!

For Sunday, January 4, 2026:

Romans 6:4b NLT: “Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.”

Believers are inextricably linked with Jesus the Christ, although His way is a path from which we should not want to escape. In fact, we should think of a link with Jesus as a gift. If we aren’t connected with Jesus, we’d have no chance at the glorious life after this life that awaits believers. If we are sincere believers, total forgiveness and salvation reserve our place in the hereafter.

And friends, isn’t that all we really want, to live in God’s eternal kingdom? Only good people will be there, those who are radically transformed by the redeeming nature of Christ Almighty. The forgiven will be our neighbors. We may be surprised at how nice everyone is! In Heaven, it will be like everyone is on their best behavior. If God – Father, Son or Holy Spirit – asks us to help out with something, we won’t hesitate. We would be honored to be invited to participate on the winning team!

Jesus rose from the dead in three days, fully restored and still eager to serve God the Father. Even though the sin of the world was heaped upon him as he died on the cross, he took that burden to the place of the dead and left it there. He was given a second chance to change the minds of those who watched him die three days ago, and now see him dancing a jig on the grave of sin. Someone brought back to life should turn heads!

Like Jesus, mankind was burdened with sin, but believers have born again, given a second chance to get things right. When you get to the pearly gates, confidently tell the gatekeeper that you’re with the guy seated just to the right of God. That’s His Son, Jesus! He’ll welcome you with open arms!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Kingdom Eternal!

For Sunday, October 26, 2025:

Luke 21:25 MSG, Jesus speaking: “It will seem like all hell has broken loose—sun, moon, stars, earth, sea, in an uproar and everyone all over the world in a panic, the wind knocked out of them by the threat of doom, the powers-that-be quaking.”

Prior to Jesus returning, our world will be a mess. Never-before-seen natural disasters will leave mankind in fear. Nations will be at war with other nations. People will gun down others who used to be their friends. Our leaders will be unable to quash violence and have no authority over the skies. Natural disasters are often called “Acts of God,” and as we get closer to the end times, this may be especially true.

Believers shouldn’t fear the world’s condition, because Jesus gave us “Assurance of Salvation.” If we believe Jesus is God’s Son sent to redeem mankind, he promised to include us in God’s eternal Kingdom. He’s been preparing a place for each believer. There’s a room in Heaven with your name on the door!

Our faith in Jesus is our ticket to eternity. Christians don’t love their neighbors to earn Heaven-points! We’re already saved by Jesus’ work on the cross, the blotting out of our sin-record. So it’s out of gratitude that we obediently love one another. The world falling apart won’t be a problem with Jesus on our side!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Faith = Good Idea!

For Wednesday, October 22, 2025:

Hebrews 11:1 TLB: “What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.”

What is faith? Good question! Habakkuk 2:4b says that the righteous will live (eternally) by faith. So faith in Holy things assures us of residence in the forever Heavenly Kingdom.

Faith includes believing that God-the-Father loves us, and that he sent his Son to redeem us. The faithful believe that Jesus is indeed the Son of God and that all His promises (prophecies) are true. We believe through faith that Jesus can and will do what He said He will do. We believe that God-the-Father, Jesus-his-Son and the Holy Spirit are one God. Believers have no doubt that all of God’s promises will come to fruition. He is, after all, God!

Faithful believers know that Jesus preceded the bulk of mankind into the life after this life, to prepare our forever residence. The believer-filled church is the bride of Christ, and we will be honored to attend the wedding banquet in Heaven’s Great Hall!

Jesus is offering us a gift we cannot repay, residence in an unseen reality for an unending length of time. Our faith tells us that it will be the best thing ever! Sounds good to me! Does it sound good to you?

Pastor Norton Lawellin
Jesus In the City Fellowship
 

Messiah!

For Sunday, November 17, 2024:

John 1:29 NLT: “The next day John-the-Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

John-the-Baptist repeatedly confirmed that he was not the Messiah. He told his followers that someone would be on the scene after him, someone far greater. John was watching for the Messiah as prophesied in the Old Testament! When he spotted Jesus, there was no doubt. “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

Atoning for the world’s sin is a big job, but Jesus was up for the task. That was his primary purpose, the rescue of mankind. I doubt his job will be finished until we enter the next age. Mankind’s sin seems to be never-ending, perhaps worse now than ever! Jesus continues to redeem all who turn to him!

As we worship, let us never forget to thank the Father for sending Jesus, and to thank Jesus for the gift he has brought for believers. He changed the direction of mankind’s pathway to hell, and confirmed our reservations in the heavenly eternal kingdom.

Hope to see you there!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Last Day!

 For Friday, November 15, 2024:

1 Thessalonians 3:13 NLT: “May the Lord make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen.”

Is Jesus coming again? Paul says ‘yes,’ and Jesus spoke to him personally, post-resurrection! We are accountable to Jesus, the one who died to forgive our sins, so this should end well! Paul is inviting all believers – those in the churches he founded, and in all the other churches – to stand together on the last day. The sheep will be separated from the goats, and we get to stand with the sheep, led by the Lamb of God!

May your strong heart love the Lord as together we stand blameless and holy before our Father, preparing to enter his eternal kingdom!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Born Again!

 For Sunday, October 16, 2022:

John 3:5 NLT: “Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.’”

"Born again” – It sounds odd, but Jesus spoke these words, so let’s investigate. Nicodemus was confused too! “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”

We all understand the first birth, being brought into this world as a human. The second birth, being born AGAIN, refers to an enlightenment given by the Holy Spirit. Our eyes and ears are opened to God’s Son, our heart is opened to carry Jesus with us, and our mind is radically transformed to think more like our Savior. Being human, we’re not perfect at this, but as time goes by, we get closer and closer to Jesus. Progress is good; perfection may not be possible.

The Bible says that every good thing we have comes from the Father. So our enlightenment is a priceless gift from above. And now knowing the Son, we also receive the gift of eternal life in God’s Kingdom!

Remember to thank the Lord for all his precious gifts!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Eternal Priests!

For Friday, April 29, 2022:

Revelation 1:6 NLT: “Jesus Christ has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.”

Jesus has provided well for the believers. He’s not only reserving a place for us in the Kingdom; he is calling us “priests,” people who lead others in worship and spiritual matters.

That’s why we praise him! Jesus not only rescued us; he bequeathed us a place of extreme honor in the eternal Kingdom.

Today, we serve out of gratitude for the good things Jesus has done for us!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Holy Saturday!

For Holy Saturday, April 16, 2022:

Matthew 27:64 NLT: “We, the leading priests and Pharisees, request that you, Pilate, seal the tomb of Jesus until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we’ll be worse off than we were at first.”

You see, this entire mess – the torture and the crucifixion of Jesus – was a conspiracy. It was a grab for power and money. God and religion never figured into their scheme. It was about personal gain and position. The promised Messiah had arrived and was gathering believers, which displaced them from the traditional Temple leaders, those who knew all the law but did not exhibit any love for their fellows.

Today, Jesus puts into motion what we call “The Great Exchange,” whereby he takes the sin of the world to the place of the dead, and replaces it with forgiveness, holiness and purity, leaving believers suitable to take up residency in God’s eternal kingdom.

Jesus exchanged our sin for righteousness. Jesus brought hope to our world. Tomorrow, Easter, Resurrection Sunday, he rises from the dead, just as he predicted!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Cornerstone of Hope!

For Thursday, April 14, 2022:

Matthew 21:42 NIV: Jesus asked the religious leaders, “Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures? ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.’”

When the leading priests and Pharisees heard this Jesus’ words, they realized he was telling the story against them. Sadly, their goals were too shallow. They were seeking only liberation from Roman occupation, while Jesus was sent to liberate them from their sin problem.

Today, faith in that same Jesus will separate us from our sins. Believers know that Jesus took all the sins of the world to the place of the dead, and left those with faith cleansed, prepared to take up residence in God’s eternal Kingdom, Heaven!

When God’s people were seeking hope, he sent his Son, Jesus!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Second Chances!

For Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Jonah 1:2 NLT, the Lord speaking: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.”

God had about had it with Nineveh. He’s up to here with their evil and violence. But as befits God’s character, he sends a warning; he gives them one more chance.

God’s plan was to send the edict with Jonah. But Jonah was afraid of confrontation, and took off in the opposite direction. It took a sailing mishap and 3 days in the belly of a big fish to finally convince Jonah to do what God had asked.

It worked! The king led everyone in Nineveh in repenting and returning to the Lord. He said, “Perhaps even yet God will change his mind and hold back his fierce anger from destroying us.”

When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened. God is merciful! He’s a God of second chances.

Every day he gives us one more chance to cement our relationship with his Son and assure our place in his eternal kingdom!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Eternal Kingdom!

For Thursday, July 15, 2021

2 Peter 1:11 Phillips, Simon Peter writing to believers: “If you have lived the sort of life I have recommended, God will open wide to you the gates of the eternal kingdom of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.”

What is your overall goal in this life? Most people don’t consider anything beyond tomorrow. Good business leaders have a five-year plan. Knowing where they’d like the business to be in five years allows them to clearly see the steps necessary to achieve success. Do you have a five-year plan for your life? A ten-year plan? A plan for eternity?

True believers have experienced radical transformations as the result of Jesus working in their lives. Their eyes are no longer focused on just surviving, living day-to-day. True believers have their eyes on the goal, the eternal destination.

"I run toward the goal, so that I can win the prize of being called to heaven. This is the prize that God offers because of what Christ Jesus has done.” (Philippians 3:14)

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Get Going!

For Sunday, June 27, 2021

Luke 5:11 GNT: “They pulled the boats up on the beach, left everything, and followed Jesus.”

As this day begins, Simon Peter was concerned only with catching fish. By day’s end, Jesus tells him that he will be fishing for people! Jesus preached from Simon’s boat to the on-shore crowd, and Simon was personally convinced by what he heard. The fact that Jesus summoned more fish than the boats could handle was icing on the cake, so to speak. It was one more bit of miracle evidence to cement their relationship.

That day Simon learned that life could be more than just netting a few fish. He was given a unique insight into God’s Eternal Kingdom - he was offered eternal hope! And when God opens the door to let you in, you’d better get going! The fishermen left everything and followed Jesus - immediately!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406